$92 million underpass could force out businesses

Thirty-five years ago, Rocky Patetta opened one of the first tile shops near Angel Stadium and soon a bunch of similar stores popped up around him.

Now, that swath and new developments are expected to bring more traffic – traffic that could force out Patetta's tile store and others on State College Boulevard.

Local governments are planning to build a $92 million underpass below the train tracks that run alongside Patetta's California Wholesale Tile. That may lead to the seizure of at least parts of five properties to clear space for the underpass, said Natalie Meeks, Anaheim's public works director. Under the law, the property owners are supposed to be justly compensated financially.

The underpass would be along a stretch of State College with a cluster of tile businesses, unofficially called Tile Row or Tile Mile.

The city and the Orange County Transportation Authority are designing the underpass and figuring out if they will need to use eminent domain to buy out businesses. By separating the street from the tracks, motorists would no longer have to wait as trains pass by.

"It's like the city is going to destroy me," Patetta said. "It's going to put me out of business."

Underpass project

The City Council approved the underpass in 2010 as part of a larger plan for traffic and infrastructure in the Platinum Triangle – a slow-developing area that the city hopes eventually will turn into an urban village with condos, shops and entertainment near Angel Stadium.

That plan includes a massive transportation station, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, that will serve commuter trains and possibly a high-speed railway.

Projections show that 95 trains a day would cross State College by 2030, Meeks said. Now, about 23,030 vehicles drive through that area daily.

Construction is to begin in 2015, with State College closing there for two years. The city is pursuing the project now because state and county transportation money is available.

"With the development anticipated in the Platinum Triangle, it will become more important," Meeks said.

Some business owners, however, don't believe traffic will be a problem.

"It's a bunch of baloney," said Hatem Hajali, owner of Stone Age. "There is no need for it."

State College businesses

The five businesses that could be affected: three tile stores, Burger Boy and a storage business.

Patetta said he believes his store is the longest-running tile business on the row. A few others were there when he started, but they have since closed.

"I'm the one who started it, and now I'm going to have to leave," Patetta said. "That is not good."

He was unaware of the underpass project until he received a letter in December asking for permission to do soil testing on his property, which led to discussions about the possible taking of his business through eminent domain.

Now 79, Patetta works a few days a week. He groomed his grandson, Anthony Voss, to run the business.

"This was really going to be my career move and my life," said Voss, 34. "Now, I'm unsure what's going to happen."

Relocation possibility

The government would be required to pay for any costs to fairly relocate the businesses. That price tag has yet to be determined.

"I can't tell you we have a solution for this yet, because it's pretty complicated," Meeks said.

Tile store owners say it would be difficult to start over. They all want to stay on Tile Row, but space is limited.

Patetta owns his 20,000-square-foot building, including a 10,000-square-foot showroom, and an adjacent lot.

Across the street, Stone Age's narrow front parking lot would be eaten up by the project, which would dip below the property. Hajali's five children, as well as some of their spouses, work for the business, which includes cabinet manufacturing.

"I have to be on the boulevard. That's the reason we are successful," Hajali said. "There's no other facility that comes close to ours."

Raul Uriostegui, owner of R and S Marble, said he moved to rent a building on State College four years ago. Despite the souring economy, his marble business saw an increase in sales of 35 percent because of the location.

"We're trying to just survive and ride the wave," Uriostegui said. "Now what's going to happen?"